Is it wrong for a hero to be wild?
by Aeoden
Summary: The three norns live in the world of Danmachi and it turns out Hestia wasn't the only one without a familia. Trouble is stirred up when adventurers return with an unknown pig tailed figure. (R1/2,AMG,Danmachachi crossover)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the IPs involved in this work of FAN fiction.

AN: Well here it is, this is one of three stories I am putting up due to a tied vote (a blind one no less...still can't get over the three way tie on a 4 option poll...poor dragonhalf crossover never stood a chance.). I posted these all at the same time to give them all a fair chance. When I post the next chapter of Hyperdimension Ranma (which will be after I post the dragonhalf one-shot), I will decide the winner for what will be my secondary story for whenever I need a break from HDR or when I have writer's block. Don't worry, I will be doing all of these stories eventually. It may just be a while.

Now, for this story. I had a lot of fun writing this in particular. I had fun with the others, but this was the least troublesome. Why? I had good wikis to work off of that were better than either of the others. Also, I should mention that I have only watched the anime for this. I was an idiot when I came up with this story as I lacked the knowledge of the novels. This is a true fail on my part. This does not mean anything bad for the story. I will be doing my best to obtain the knowledge I need and even plan on reading the novels if I can get them. Also, yes, I had a lot of fun coming up with how to get Ranma involved in this.

* * *

In a world where the various gods chose to live among mortals, there was the city of Orario, the Dungeon. Here in this city was where many of the gods had gathered and lived their mundane lives among their children. They had long since made divine laws that forbid the use of their divine powers so they could enjoy the world their children made as they do. However, there was one thing only these deities could offer to the world, their blessings. With these blessing, the mortals were granted the power to fight monsters and become known as adventurers. Those that received a blessing from a deity became a member of that deity's house, their Familia.

Among these gods and goddesses, all but two had formed a Familia. One was the childish goddess Hestia who even now went about life barely scraping by and begging favors of her friends. As for the other…

* * *

It was raining at night outside the large temple like complex that was known for housing a well known Familia. A lone figure came running into the complex calling out desperate to meet the goddess who resides there. Out from the main building came a number of people from the Familia lead by two rather big and tough looking guys. They did not look happy at this intrusion at such an important time of the day. Who would be when you interrupted a divinely cooked meal! However before they could show the belligerent kid their _hospitality_ , a tall woman with dark skin and white hair and wearing a revealing outfit that evoked sexuality came to the front and raised her hand in a gesture to stop her sister's Familia.

"What is this about, hmm?" She asked the desperate figure before her. He was a cute boy with white hair and red eyes whose clothes marked him as a country bumpkin. He was a bit on the scrawny side though.

"Are you the goddess that lives here," the boy asked as politely as he could in his desperation and even bowed," I am Bell Cranel and I seek to become an adventurer!"

Urd looked at the boy closely to consider him. He didn't seem to have much promise. He would be more of a bother for any Familia out there as he was. After taking a minute to evaluate him, she smiled to him sensually causing him to have hope, as well as a little blush, until he hold her next words," I'm sorry, but I don't live here. My sisters do. However, I'm sorry, but they have no room for you. However, I might have a place for you."

As she spoke, she came closer to the would be adventurer. He had lost hope at first until this last sentence. She now grasped his chin in one how as she leaned down closing the distance between their faces until there was only small distance," Though that would be my bed and not some dangerous place I could lose you."

She winked seductively at him and went in for the final blow. It never came. The now furiously blushing boy now ran from the complex in terror. Urd smirked and laughed at the boy's bashfulness before turning around and followed the members of her sister's Familia back in. It was true she didn't live here; she had a business and Familia of her own to run after all. However, that was not going to stop her from enjoying her sister's, Belldandy's, cooking. She also enjoyed checking in on the brat.

* * *

While Urd was outside handling the visitor, Skuld was inside at the table with her big sister Belldandy. They had stopped eating in favor of waiting for the others to return. In the meantime, Belldandy decided to have a little talk with her sister.

"Sister, how are things going lately for you?" Belldandy asked gently while already knowing the answer. Skuld looked down a little and puffed out her cheeks.

"N-not well, I can't seem to get anyone interested…" Skuld started but trailed off.

"Are you certain? I thought that gentleman last week seemed interested," Belldandy asked. She was not mad or angry but worried for her sister. Skuld's expression then changed to one of disgust.

"He wasn't interested. As it turned out he wanted to find Hephaestus' place and was lost…" Skuld answered with a scowl at the memory. The man was a blacksmith who wanted to become an adventurer so he could gather materials more cheaply and learn from the best in the trade. He was from outside the city and had didn't know where to go. Skuld thought she had finally found someone that understood her greatness. She really hated the fact that most people were only interested in the simple equipment and craftsmanship. She could never seem to get the funding she needed to make the marvels she wished to share with the world. She had tried to beg for the funds needed from her sisters, but they had both refused. Her oldest sister had simply stated there was no point in throwing away good money after a pointless cause. Belldandy, however, told her that if she wanted to make her dreams come true then she needed to set out and find her own way. They were willing to let her stay with them for now, but Skuld had to form a Familia if she wanted to make something of herself. The problem was that no one seemed to be interested in a goddess whose skills were misunderstood and unfairly compared to others. Sure, she lacked the quality of Hephaestus's work, but she could make things that were far more complex and useful. If only someone would understand that!

Belldandy understood her sister's problems too well and let the matter drop for now as they began to talk about more pleasant subjects. Eventually the conversation came to an end as everyone returned from outside. Belldandy smiled at their return and had a gentle blush at the sight of her Familia's supporter, Keiichi Morisato. When her older sister came in, she asked," So what was our visitor's business?"

Urd giggled a little as a number of the others started laughing.

"That kid was way out of his!" Tamiya declared uproariously.

"You got that right!" Otaki agreed in good humor to which others cheered their agreement. Not everyone was in agreement on this. Keiichi was one of the ones looking down and out.

"Quit you two and settle down!" The de facto leader of the Familia, Chihiro Fujimi.

"Right boss!" The two large brutes yelped as they settled down.

After things had quieted a bit, Urd finally answered her sister's question with some mirth," It was just some cute guy looking to be an adventurer. I turned him down."

"What!? Someone comes knocking on our door and you didn't even let me have a look at him!?" Skuld demanded angrily at her sister. Urd lost a bit of her mirth but was still smirking.

"Look squirt, that guy was an utter waste to be sending to a dungeon. He was a country bumpkin with no sign of training and was far too scrawny. Though he was a looker, too bad he ran away from my offer," Urd finished with a lecherous grin. Then the adventurers, who had been laughing before, started laughing again and tossing around a new name for the poor guy. Cherry Boy. Chihiro looked to her frowning goddess and received a nod. The boss quickly went about getting the knuckle heads under control before finally continuing dinner.

* * *

Off in another world, in a part of Tokyo, Japan known as Nerima, Ranma Saotome was on top of the Tendo house looking up at the stars. Today had been a painful and confusing day for him. True that was filled with the usual level of madness that he had come to know as his life in Nerima, but the events of today had been particularly disconcerting for the young man. He had been knocked out, dressed in a tux, and brought before a wedding altar against his will. His and Akane's father had gotten wind of Ranma's desperate words at Jusendo when he thought Akane had died. Even now, he was thankful for her survival from the ordeal. However, Ranma was not ready for marriage just yet. He still had too many problems left unsettled for him to do so. It just so happens it was these problems that had come crashing down on them all and destroyed the wedding. The worse part of the whole matter was the loss of the only cure for his curse amidst the madness. In a way, he felt betrayed. Akane had known about it being there and had not mentioned a thing about it. Instead, he found out when his own father tried to steal it and the other joined in a fight over it before a certain perverted gnome drank it all. Sure, Akane had nothing to do with what happened, but Ranma couldn't help thinking that, if she had told him before hand, he could somehow be cured right now. As if that weren't bad enough, there was another issue entirely that had only made the day more confusing. He looked to the stars and wondered why he felt relieved the wedding had failed. After all, he did love Akane, right?

Ranma sighed as he watched the night sky above. Only time could tell sort that mystery out. Though now that he thought about it one "what if" or "if only", he turned his mind to another thought. What was to come after? Ranma had never really considered what his future would be. Right now he had only three possibilities. He could marry Akane and run the dojo. He guessed this was the most likely now. He could go off with Ukyo and help her run her restaurant. While Ranma liked food, this was not very palatable. Finally, he good go off with Shampoo and become part of her village. Ranma chuckled darkly at the thought. He was not about to even consider that option. Sadly though, he didn't feel any of these futures were satisfying. He wanted excitement and adventure. Not the crazy stuff he had been through here. He wanted to be someone looked up to for his actions. He wanted to do something important with his martial arts. He wanted more battles where he could challenge himself and improve. Ranma thought to himself on the matter and smirked.

"Yeah, I wish I could be some adventurer like out of those fantasy stories, but that will never happen," Ranma said out loud with a sigh.

It was then that he noticed a celestial movement. It was a shooting star in the sky. He smiled at the sight for a moment before he realized something. The star's path had changed and was now heading straight for him. Ranma's brain skipped a beat at that. This was not how shooting stars were supposed to behave. Ranma immediately leapt from the roof top without a second thought to avoid being hit by the errant and erratic projectile that had now become visible to Ranma's eyes as a great mass of white fire trailing sparkles across the sky. Of all the things Ranma had managed to do. He had apparently caught the attention of THE Wishing Star. Seriously, why did all the crazy stuff have to happen to him? It was then that he realized where he had jumped to. Ranma had to laugh at his luck. With a splash, _she_ was in the koi pond. Speaking of which. Why couldn't he have chosen that time to wish for a cure instead!?

It was the that the star passed overhead. Then it stopped. Ranma looked incredulously as it shot forth once more at incredible speeds straight at her. This time, she didn't even have a chance to dodge.

* * *

Ranma woke up in an unfamiliar place. It looked like he was in a large, misty bedrock cave that was dimly lit. Now that Ranma was up and about, it was time to run through the usually checklist. Yes, he was a girl still. Nope, she had no extra supplies on her. Somehow her hidden weapons space had been emptied. This meant that she was lost deep underground and had no supplies. Yup, this was going to- _What_ _'_ _s that sound?_ It was then that Ranma watched as a bunch of tiger like monsters burst forth from the walls.

"C-c-caaaats!" Ranma screamed in abject horror before fleeing. Now note, Ranma wasn't scared of felines. Ranma was utterly terrified of them. So it was that the chase was on. She dashed about the rocky, winding paths of the caves as she tried to escape. All she managed to do was find more of the horrifying hell spawns. Soon she found herself with an army of them chasing her. She eventually ran into a dead end.

* * *

Keiichi Morisato was following the rest of his group on their usual excursion to the 17th floor. As they traveled and slew the monsters on the way, he went about his job collecting the drops quickly. Fortunately, he was with the main group with Chihiro that day instead of one of the training groups lead by Tamiya and Otaki. In all honesty, he was thankful for that. He was not in the mood to be dealing with their usual shenanigans. They always insisted on trying to get him to be more manly and would often times give him ridiculous demands all the while insisting that since he had a Falna he should man up and take the role of an adventurer. Keiichi sighed this as he recalled how badly every single one of those incidents had ended. That was not to say they were out to get him killed or anything. They always came in at the last moment to save him. Nor did they berate him for only being a supporter… too much.

Today he was with their lead group. Chihiro never put him at risk down this low. That's not to say she doesn't have him handle a few of the easier fights on the higher levels, but she never has him handle anything below the fourth floor. After that, he just get's swarmed and it becomes pointless. It was then that he was brought out of his thoughts be screams of terror.

"Hey boss! You hear that?" Keiichi called out from the back. He would never risk calling her anything else in front of the others. She was revered next to Belldandy in the Familia after all.

"I hear it Morisato," She agreed calmly.

"Well, aren't we going to help them?" He asked impulsively. He was met with a few glares from some of the others. Chihiro sighed for a moment as if to consider it for a moment before smiling.

"Alright then!" She declared loudly to the others," You heard 'im, let's move out and save the day!"

The group cheered on and they began quickly pursuing the source of the screams. It was hard to do as the sound echoed throughout the dungeon. They even ran into several other parties and had to fight through several groups of lygerfangs. All the while, the screams continued. They were finally coming close to the source when they heard one last blood curdling scream of absolute terror sound from a dead end. Keiichi saw the massive army of lygerfangs and trembled in fear himself at the sight. However, he still wanted to save whoever was there. As he moved, a firm grip on his shoulder stopped. It was Chihiro with a grim expression on her face.

"It's too late Keiichi, we need to-," She began to console the supporter.

"MREOW!" A new cry sounded from beyond the army of monsters. It was soon followed by hissing and snarling as well as the sounds of battle. The group stopped to take another look. It seemed they had a cat person in their group. A girl from the sounds of it. Soon they began to see flashes of red jump about the mass of monsters. Where ever the flash appeared, lygerfangs fell and dispersed. It was as the group witnessed this insane sight that they heard the tell tale crumbling noise of a nearby wall. They barely had time to turn and defend themselves as another group of lygerfangs burst forth. In that time, Chihiro released her grip on Keiichi who now drew a short sword from a scabbard on his hip as a dagger. He was hopelessly outmatched, but the thought had never entered his mind. He just wanted to save whoever had made that last scream. It was only as he closed in and one of the massive pack turned to lunge at him did he realize just how bad of an idea his stunt had been. He had tried to defend himself with the dagger and thrust with the sword. Unfortunately, it swatted the sword away and closed its teeth on the dagger. The dagger soon snapped and the monster was about to rip him to pieces when it suddenly yelped before disintegrating into darkness to reveal the form of his savior. It was an exotic human girl with red hair, blue eyes and wearing poorly fitted silk clothes. She was also petite and busty, he noticed as she bounced around like a cat amidst the quickly thinning group of monsters. Soon they were all gone and Keiichi could no longer hear the sounds of fighting behind him. The girl was still acting like a cat as she looked at him before bounding forth only to jump clean over him and pounce on his now surprised boss.

"Kei-Waah!" Chihiro had gotten out before grunting at the impact of the mysterious girl. The next thing she knew, she was sitting on the ground with a now purring human girl on her lap. She didn't even move.

"Uh, boss-!?" One of the others started before she quickly turned to hush them. Keiichi went about gathering the drops and making sure to separate the ones that belonged to the girl from the ones that went to the group. Soon enough the girl was fully asleep and they set out to take her to the surface. There had been some debate on trying to find her group, but the leader had made it clear that if she were with a group they were likely gone already. Today was not going to be a profitable day, but they had at least done a good deed. That was the one tenant of the Familia. Always help those in need.

* * *

Ranma woke up to find herself in a clean room lying on a white bed. Her clothes were cleaned and folded at the foot of the bed and there was a covered tray beside her. She noticed that the room had only one window and one door. The room had a very business like feel. It reminded her of Dr. Tofu's clinic in a way. Judging by the light from the window, it was late afternoon. There seemed to be someone stationed at the door to watch over her. The man looked like a waiter at one of those fancy foreign places. He was wearing formal black pants and a vest over a white dress shirt with a blue bowtie. The man bowed when he noticed Ranma was up.

"Please wait here; there is someone who needs to talk with you," The man said as recovered from his bow," Also, there are some sandwiches in the tray next to them. You can enjoy them while you wait. I'll be back shortly."

Ranma lifted up the blanket to find she had on a simple white robe for modesty's sake. She quickly went about changing into her own clothes before lifting the cover from the tray to find a number of sandwiches in a neat pile. It was hardly a snack and was gone before the man returned with someone else. This time it was a grumpy looking, fat guy with white hair wearing a far more expensive looking black suit with jacket. Then Ranma noticed the man had pointed ears. She was able to control her shock. She was quite used to this sort of thing at this point.

"So you're the one that the Belldandy Familia saved?" The man began before getting serious," What were you doing down there, girl!?" When Ranma didn't answer due to being to confused at the situation in general, the man started again. This time yelling," I haven't got all day! I need to know why you, someone without a Falna, were skulking around the dungeon in the first place let alone how you even managed to get down there to begin with!" Ranma finally collected herself at this. The guy's attitude had struck a nerve.

"Shove it ya old fart! I have no idea what the hell you're talking about!" Ranma shot back. The old fart was not outraged at this.

"How dare you! First you cause trouble for us by illegally entering the dungeon and now you not only refuse to answer my questions, but insult me!" The tub of lard screeched furiously.

"Yeah, whatever. All I care about is figurin' out where I am and getting home," Ranma said as she walked over to the window. No one even bothered to stop her as it turned out she was pretty high up," And seein' as you guys aren't helpin' I'm outta here!"

With that said and before anyone could stop her from doing what most would consider suicide, she jumped.

* * *

"Yo, Boss, I hear you guys had a fun adventure today!" Otoki called out as his and Tamiya's groups came in through the gate.

"You can say that, we came to rescue some girl who was screaming her head off on the 17th floor. When we got there she was acting crazy and took out a huge pack of lygerfangs," Chihiro answered back," She fell asleep soon after and we took her to the surface. It wouldn't have been safe for us to proceed with the dead weight."

"Wow, she must have been something to pull that alone. What Familia was she from?" Tamiya asked a little shocked.

"Yeah, and what weapons was she usin'!?" Otoki added.

"None," Their boss answered," She had no Falna and took those things bare handed."

The two brutish men stood there in stunned silence. Skuld, however, had been passing by on a chore when she overheard all of this. She dropped the laundry in her arms and came running over to Chihiro.

"You found someone like that!? Where is she? Why haven't I seen her yet!?" She pleaded with the field leader of her sister's Familia. Chihiro sighed at this.

"Because the guild took her when they found out. Something about questioning. She did enter the dungeon without a Falna after all," she answered unhappily. It actually scared her a little that there was someone that strong without the blessing granted by a god or goddess. She then noticed the downcast look on Skuld's face and added," But I'm sure they let her go by now. If you hurry, you might find her out there."

This got Skuld's mood up. After a quick description of the girl, Skuld went dashing off. She completely forgot about the dried laundry she had been asked to bring in. It was now scattered across the ground.

* * *

It had been a couple hours now and was getting dark. Skuld had first tried checking in at the pantheon. What she heard was that Royman Mardeel was outraged and had put a mission assignment out to hunt the girl down and bring her back to the guild for questioning. She had escaped by jumping from the window of her room that had been midway up the Babel, the great tower built over the entrance to the dungeon. As it turned out, she was quite acrobatic and had made it down safely. This only made Skuld want to recruit the girl more. This girl sounded impossible to be true, but she knew that neither the guild nor Chihiro lie about something this insane.

As she continued her search after, she ran into several parties that had accepted the mission. Though they refused to tell her anything as they wanted the reward for bringing her in, she had overheard some of them suggesting recruiting the girl. This had only pushed Skuld further along in her desperation. This was her chance. There was someone out there who was not in a Familia and had amazing powers. If she could find this person first, she would finally be able to make her dream a reality.

Now here she was though. She was panting at the side of a street leaning against a nearby wall for support as night was beginning to fall. She had still not given up hope though!

* * *

After Ranma made easy work of escaping the ridiculously oversized tower, she had went about trying to find some information of where she was and getting some hot water. She found out easily enough that she was in a city called Orario. As far as she could tell, she was likely not on Earth. That had become obvious when she found people of all different kinds of inhuman races walking about in broad daylight. There were even c-cat people. The discovery had not been a pleasant one when she found what seemed to be a tavern and found herself dealing with a made sporting those hellish features. She had run like no tomorrow. Since the initial discovery, she had been able to control herself enough to simply avoid them rather than flee in terror. It had made finding a source of hot water take a little longer as she had to find a place that didn't have one of those people around. While looking, she had found that a bounty had apparently been put out on her. She was thankful when she finally found a small shop that dealt in medicines or something like that. The dark skinned woman with white hair smirked at her before handing it to her. Something about the woman did not set well with Ranma and she fled the scene to a nearby alley where she regained his manhood. It was good to be a guy again.

After that, he ran into his second problem. He had no money. He was broke and had no idea how to go about making more. To make matters worse, his stomach was growling. He didn't know how long it had been since he had last eaten a good meal. The small snack those jerks gave him didn't count. He spent the rest of that afternoon looking for a place that would let him work for a meal. Sadly, the only one he could find had already been taken by some girl with dark hair and a figure similar to Ranma's girl form. So here he was in another alley trying to come up with another method to get food. He couldn't use his usual method as there were search parties out to get his girl side. With a sigh, Ranma began to head out of the other side of the alley. That was when he bumped into someone. It was a girl who looked a couple years younger than him with long, black hair and a slim build. She apparently had yet to hit her growth spurt. She wore a strange pink and red robe that opened at the bottom to show a pink skirt. He quickly helped her up.

"Sorry 'bout that," Ranma said after the girl was standing once more," Wasn't watchin' where I was goin', you ok?"

The girl brushed herself off for a moment before looking to at him and answering," I'm fine, I wasn't paying much attention either. Anyways, I'm in a hurry, you wouldn't have seen a human girl with red hair done up in a pigtail by any chance?"

"No," Ranma lied," Can't say that I have, you out for the bounty?"

The girl shook her head," No, I want to recruit her. Anyways, I must be-"

"Wait-!" Ranma got out as he latched onto the girl's shoulder. He smelled an opportunity. Or that could just be the tavern down the street. The food there did smell good. It was then that Ranma's stomach decided to growl.

* * *

Skuld had caught her breath enough and began to run off in search of the mysterious redhead when something slammed into her sending her falling to the ground. She was not happen, but then the man responsible stepped over to her quickly and helped her up. His build said he was likely an adventurer. He had blue eyes and black hair done up in a pigtail. He also wore red and black silk clothes. The young man apologized for the accident. She couldn't very well stay mad at the man and she had been at fault as well. So she apologized as well and tried to get back to the business at hand. Finding the stranger had no information, she turned to leave while bidding farewell.

"Wait-!" the boy cried as he grabbed onto her shoulder desperately. Before he could say anything else, his stomach roared. This caused her to jump at first, but she quickly recollected herself. This man must have not made enough today to pay for dinner. Her sister would be very displeased if she left the poor adventurer like this. She would have to hope the girl she sought would still be around to be recruited tomorrow. It was getting dark after all. The boy just stood there and blushed before she sighed.

"Well, I can't leave you out here. I might as well help you out. By the way, my name is Skuld," She told the stranger with a resigned smile. He smiled back at her.

"Ranma Saotome, sorry 'bout this," was his reply.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: meh, don't own, don't really care...

AN- Ok guys, some quick things need to be brought up. First is the fact I am sorry for not releasing anything in so long. Hopefully I'll be back in the groove of things. Secondly, I really do like this story and look forward to releasing more chapters. As such, I am no longer waiting to read the Light novels and will more or less be depending on research and my own devious little game plans to see me through this. Thirdly, I apologize if this chapter isn't to everyone's liking. I especially do so because I'm not quite sure I did a good job utilizing the characters. Also, let me make a quick statement. This is not a lock fic, nor is Ranma gonna be running around as Ranko for most of it. So please be patient with me on this. Anyways, please enjoy!

* * *

Belldandy sat at the dinner table watching over her Familia and waiting for her sisters to arrive. Urd was running a bit later than usual. As for Skuld, she had last been seen running off in the midst of her chores by Chihiro. While it was good to hear her younger sister had such drive as to try and seize such an opportunity, she would have preferred her to put a little more thought into her actions. Especially since her younger sister's haste in the matter meant that the laundry had to be washed again. She was going to have to have a few words with her whenever she came back.

Amidst the chatter as the other waited for the goddesses to arrive with Otaki and Tamiya being the loudest with their discontent, Urd walked in flanked by two members of her own familia. It was Toshiyuki and Sayoko. They were Urds direct subordinates with the business minded Toshiyuki handling the business side of things at the potions shop and Sayoko leading the adventurers with her charm. It was rare for them to come here as, while Urd was welcome, their familia was known for being at odds with one another due to differing ideals. She was never told why that was exactly, but she had made it clear that all were welcome long ago. For whatever reason though, Urds familia stayed away. As expected, things quieted down a little at their arrival. Nor was this helped by Urd's annoyed expression.

"It is good to see you sister," Belldandy greeted warmly," What troubles you?"

"A wild goose hunt," She muttered before letting loose a sigh and speaking directly to her sister," We've been out for quite sometime trying to handle a mission. These two were with me when I realized what time it was."

"Well, they are certainly welcome to join us," The younger of the two goddesses present replied. At this the two quickly nodded and took seats at one of the tables," So why were you helping on a mission?"

Urd had also taken her usual spot next to her sister and settled in before answering," It's about that girl your main group saved today, she escaped from guild custody and a mission was put out. Normally we wouldn't bother with a case like this except this girl seemed very interesting from all reports. Still wouldn't have done anything if not for the fact she actually came into my shop for some hot water. I had Sayoko try to tail her when she left out of curiosity. Somehow the girl vanished after going down an alley. At that point, I think I got a little carried away," Urd finished explaining as she looked away from her sister and scratched side of her chin," So, where's the brat?"

"Sister please," Belldandy admonished," She is trying. As for where, she left to go chasing after that girl as well," She paused for a second before giving a light giggle," You know, it's times like this that I think you two are alike. After all, you both went out hunting her."

Urd scowled a bit before letting it soften and finally relented with a chuckle of her own," Well, we are sisters after all-"

She seemed to be about to say more when the door to the dining hall opened revealing the youngest of the three sisters in the company of a stranger.

* * *

Ranma followed the girl through the streets of the strange city he found himself in. As they made their way to her home they continued to talk.

"So Mr. Saotome, were you also searching for that girl?" Skuld questioned to which Ranma smirked and shook his head.

"Nah, I only just got here today," He replied. The girl paused for a moment bringing them to a stop for a few seconds as she looked to him to consider something.

"So I guess that means you're not in a familia yet?" She asked with a thoughtful look. This question had caught Ranma off guard as he now had a vacant expression.

"No, why would I be?" Ranma answered trying to figure out what a familia was. He remembered that jerk from before saying something about him being saved by one. This response seemed to confuse the girl as she tilted her head.

"Strange. When I first saw you, I had assumed you were an adventurer," she admitted as she looked to him as if measuring him.

"You mean those guys that go into that dungeon?" Ranma spoke out loud more to himself than to Skuld. He had learned a little about the place since he was told he was found there. It was likely a good idea to back there if he wanted to make his way back home," I guess I should start looking for one of those-"

"Then would you please consider joining my familia?" The girl asked almost pleadingly. That's when Ranma thought back to the fact she was out and about trying to recruit his female half when they met. Ranma considered the matter. The girl was apparently working for one of these familia groups. Unlike the others that had been sending out their own adventurers, her group had clearly sent out a serving girl of some kind as he doubted she was an adventurer. This meant her familia must be one of the better ones. A group like that could make his search easier. Not to mention the fact she had offered to help him even before she knew he was available. These thoughts took a matter of seconds to consider.

"Sure thing, I'll join your familia," Ranma said as he considered something," Though won't you be in trouble for coming back with me instead of that girl?"

"Huh? Why would I-, "that would be when she paled. However, the thoughts going through Skulds mind at the time were not what Ranma assumed. She remembered the events that led up to this moment. In particular, the fact that she had ruined the laundry in her rush to find Ranma. She let out a nervous laugh before shaking off the worry for now. After all, this was a happy moment. Someone actually agreed to join her. She was sure her dear sister would forgive her for this. Just as she was coming to this conclusion, Ranma cleared his throat to grab her attention.

"I think I can help you out if you can keep a secret," Ranma said as he looked about to make sure no one was around. It was getting a little late and most people seemed to have gone home. Those still out and about were adventures for one reason or another for the most part. Skuld considered his words for a moment before she recalled that he had mentioned the girl. She wondered how he could help her out with finding her. That was when something finally struck her recognition. This guy was wearing the same clothes the girl was described to have been wearing.

"I can keep a secret," She finally answered with a curious gaze. The boy smirked and held out his hand. She grasped it and they shook on the matter.

"Alright then, I'll need-"

* * *

The redhead was blushing a little at the girl's reaction. She glomped her and then practically dragged her away. Well that and the fact she had her in a gleeful hug again as they walked into the place. Just as she imagined, the place was actually fairly big. It even made her feel a little at home since the place kind of reminded her of a temple back home but on a bigger scale and with fairly large grounds. Now she stood at the entrance to the dining area. Whatever chatter was going on seemed to cease at that moment. At the head of the central table sat two women that caught Ranma's attention. One was the owner of that shop she got the hot water from. She had a strange mixture of conflicting emotions at the moment that made her face hard to read though her face seemed to darken. As for the other, she gave off a very familiar presence. It took a moment before Ranma realized that something about her reminded the pig tailed girl of Kasumi Tendo.

Skuld seemed to finally register what was going on around her and finally let go of Ranma and spoke," Oh umm, sorry we're late?"

At this seemingly innocent declaration, the room broke out into chaos. Much what was being thrown about was confirmation of some sort while others started to enthusiastically congratulate Skuld while giving praise and thanks to Ranma. Not everyone seemed to be so festive, but for the moment it really didn't matter. It soon died down when couple of people got and approached them. In the lead was a woman with short black hair whose maturity had Ranma mark her as being fairly older than herself. The other was a guy who was harder to judge age wise as he seemed to fall between Ranma's two heights.

"It's good to see you again, and you're not acting like a cat this time," the woman greeted with a mischievous smile," I'm Chihiro Fujimi and this guy- is Keiichi Morisato," She introduced the other by dragging him to the fore and clasping his shoulders. Ranma was not happy to hear that these people had in fact caught her in the nekoken and was frowning at the fact.

"Nice ta meetcha too, you can call me Ranko, but please don't bring that up," as she returned the greeting causing Skuld to look at her questioningly. She then put two and two together and realized this familia was in fact the one that found her," So I guess that means I'm joining the uh, verda- er Belldandy familia?"

At this Skuld squawked as if offended as the others in the room seemed a bit confused. The assumption had been that Skuld had finally gotten someone to agree. Sadly it looked there was some form of misunderstanding again. Skuld latched onto Ranma," What are you talking about, you said you'd join my familia!"

Ranma was caught off guard by this and looked at her in confusion," Uh- isn't this the familia you work for?"

Urd and her two subordinates saw a chance. While normally she might be more inclined in helping her youngest sister in the matter, she was invested in the girl in front of her. She had wasted a good part of her day trying to track this girl down, and now that she was here and there was still a chance, she was not letting it slip by. She stood and approached her quarry with a laugh that could be heard throughout the room," Seriously little squirt, did you fail to inform her that you currently have no members and are staying with our sister?"

Belldandy looked to her older sister in concern as she realized what was going to happen. Urd had that look in her eye when she was getting up that spoke of one simple fact. She had gotten tied up in the means and lost sight of the end yet again.

"Honestly dear, you should look into trying to explain things more clear," Sayoko spoke up as it turned out she and Toshiyuki were joining the gathering group at the entrance. As they walked forth, Sayoko continued now addressing Ranko," I'm sorry but it seems you were ill informed. The girl is in fact a goddess with no familia and as such has been staying here with her sister, the venerable Belldandy. As for Toshiyuki and I-" she explained with a small hand gesture to indicate her companion," We are here with our own Goddess, Mistress Urd."

Before anyone could edge in word wise, Toshiyuki upon getting close seized the opportunity to grab the exotic beauty's hand," We even hold greater resources than that of the Belldandy familia and would be honored if you would consider joining us," he spoke while trying to take advantage of the girl's confusion. He gave her his best lady killer smile and pulled her to him to give the finishing blow. The last thing he saw was her delicate hand that night.

"Nope, not letting a creep like that try and pull a fast one!" the redhead screeched angrily with obvious disgust for the man on her face. The room fell silent and Urd looked on intrigued. She had thought the girl might give in to that as so many had before. It would seem this girl was definitely something else. It only made her want this Ranko more. However, Sayoko seemed to not be phased and was even smirking at this latest development.

"Will you stop harassing a FELLOW guest," Chihiro demanded as she tried to reaffirm some measure of control over the situation as she was sure her goddess was not pleased with the current situation. However it would seem to be out of her hands. Not like there was much chance after a blow like that had been dealt no matter how deserved.

"I beg forgiveness in this matter, but I and my representatives only wish to ensure that the girl makes a well informed decision on the matter," Urd declared. This statement now took it out of Chihiro's hands to mitigate as only Belldandy could handle her sister in cases like these.

Sayoko then finally let out an amused chuckle bringing attention back to her as she offered her hand to the new girl," I have to grant you that he deserved. Oh how I've waited to see someone belt that cad a good one," she added warmly. She was really starting to warm up to the girl regardless of how unrefined she was.

Ranko took the hand and shook it acknowledging the friendly gesture much to Skuld's dismay. It looked like at this rate Ranko was going to be stolen from her. Belldandy was just about to enter the matter. It was then that another voice entered the fray," Uh um, if that's the case Urd. Shouldn't that mean Ranko should hear our side?" Keiichi spoke up as he looked on thoughtfully. Chihiro seemed a bit confused at this. She had thought the kid had a better head on his shoulders than that. Also while no one noticed it at the time, Otaki and Tamiya seemed to have a gleam in their eyes as if they had come up with a new hair-brained scheme.

"Oh, and whatever would you like to add to this," Urd asked in honest curiosity as she put Keiichi on the spot. The supporter looked thoughtful for a moment as if trying to sort out himself out.

"Well, way I see it. Neither of our familias really need another member. However, Miss Ranko has a right to know what she's getting into with Skuld," Keiichi began talking before turning back to face the main target of this matter," Fact is you'll be starting with no support or help at all. However, I would ask that you please think about Skuld. I'm sure most everyone here would be happy to know she's finally got someone."

There was a moment of silence as everyone considered the words. Well, almost everyone. Ranko was just waiting patiently so she could finally talk," Thanks for the pep talk and all," Ranko said before placing a hand on Skuld's head," Thing is, none of this matters. I gave her my word, and while there may have been a misunderstanding, I try to keep my promises unlike pops…"

Skuld actually managed to hug Ranma even more fiercely than before. Keiichi looked on with a smile clearly plastered on his face. Much the same could be said for Belldandy. Chihiro gave a sigh of relief and hoped this would be the end of the matter. Urd seemed a bit expressionless as she approached her two subordinates and whispered something to Sayoko. After a quick nod from her, they picked up Toshiyuki and left. It was clear the matter had been resolved for now.

* * *

Urd and Sayoko walked together outside while dragging their still unconscious comrade. While they walked, Urd thought for a bit with a neutral expression. As for Sayoko, she was brooding. The girl had taken her hand in friendship, but she had then turned her offer down in front of the Belldandy familia of all people. She was humiliated and quite livid. Her goddess's silence soon became unbearable," Are we really giving up on this matter? We were just humiliated before your sister's familia!"

Urd's expression finally darkened at this as she released a low chuckle," Oh no, this is far from over. One way or another we will get our hands on that girl. Mark my words Sayoko. She will be mine before this is through! I will not lose to that spore!"

* * *

Back at the Belldandy complex, Ranko found herself a seat next to Keiichi and Chihiro at the main table. Meanwhile, Skuld was helping Belldandy and the serving staff in the kitchen get the food ready to serve. Not that it was still being cooked. The staff had been overlooking and making sure the meal would be be hot while their head chef and goddess left to greet her guests if any and wait for her sisters. Now that everyone was here, it was time to get everything together and start serving. Belldandy had taken Skuld along so they could have a little bit of a talk.

"I am happy to see you finally got someone to help you sister," Belldandy started as they walked into the kitchen which signaled for everyone to finally get started," However, there are a few things we need to talk about now."

Skuld was beaming happily until she heard this last bit. The tone had been one she recognized. After a split second, Skuld replied," What could that be?"

"Well, it would seem now is a good a time as any to talk about responsibility. I know we've gone over this before, but you still seem to not quite grasp it if considering I had to wash the laundry again," Belldandy began to lecture. There was no anger in her voice. She only displayed concern," While I know the reason for it, that kind of behavior and thoughtlessness is only going to cause you trouble further down the road. In fact, the incident in the dining hall could have been avoided if you had taken your time to explain before hand. You are lucky she still felt obligated because she was in her full right to change her mind at that point," Belldandy paused while she and her sister carried more dishes to the staff to be filled with food and brought out. She wanted this point to sink in and when she saw her sister's downcast expression she knew it had and gave a sigh before moving on," With this in mind, I feel it is time for certain measures to be taken. It troubles me to do this, but it is for your own good. Starting tomorrow, you and Ranko will have one week to secure some basic living funds and a place to stay-"

"What!? I know I would have to leave eventually but…" Skuld began but quickly deflated. Her dear sister rarely made decisions like these unless she felt it was absolutely necessary. However much she wanted to protest at that moment, she knew Belldandy was going to be adamant. Belldandy waited a moment to ensure her little sister's outburst was over. All the while she smiled at her sadly.

"I know it seems a little harsh and sudden, but I am sure you'll manage. Especially since you have that girl at your side. Remember, Urd and I had to build our familias from scratch. I'm sure you'll do fine especially with all the studies you do to keep up with business and such to prepare for this day," She embraced her sister and rubbed her back to reassure her.

* * *

Back in the dining room, Ranko was having a little talk of her own. It was nothing really important, just her trying to glean some info. She finally had learned a little about the whole adventurer and goddess relation. She even learned what a Falna was. It was during this part of the conversation that two rather large and thuggish looking guys walked up to them. Normally people that looked like these guys would somehow make her weary. Not that they were a threat, she just preferred to be on the safe side when dealing with those that might bully others. However, these guys seemed to have a way about them that made her feel at ease in spite of what others might consider to be a fairly intimidating duo.

"Yo, boss, we's got a matter that needs ta be delt wit' among us higher ups!" the bigger and more muscular one with black hair and a mustache bellowed.

"Yeah, it be important and such and needs ta be brought up wit' da head," The lankier guy with crazy blonde hair added. Chihiro just sighed as she got up and waved goodbye to the others. After they were out of earshot, Ranko turned to Keiichi.

"So who were those guys and what was that all about?"

"Oh them? That was Tamiya and Otaki. They are put of the leadership and only answer to Chihiro and Belldandy. If they're calling for a meeting at this time, something must be up," Keiichi answered with a frown. Whenever it involved those two, Keiichi was usually on the receiving end of it. He was almost afraid to find out what it was this time. Hopefully with Chihiro involved it wouldn't be too bad.

* * *

Skuld and Belldandy were coming along with the rest of the staff to serve the food and finally begin having dinner. She had not said much since the talk from earlier. It wasn't so much that she was mad or overly sad. It hurt a little to know that she was going to have to leave this place soon. Even though she always knew that she would have to leave to make her dreams come true, she had only thought about the fact intellectually. This place had been her home for so long that it really hurt her to let go. However, this was not what was holding her words at bay. She had other things to consider. She was in thought on the task set before her. How much valis would they be able to make in a week's time with only one person down in the dungeon and what they were going to have to do for living arrangements? This also brought to mind Ranko's- er Ranma's secret. They were going to have to talk later on how to deal with the registration. It was a strange ability. However, it was not an entirely unheard of one. Though it did beg the question on which one was real.

As these thoughts and more swirled about in Skuld's mind, Chihiro, Tamiya, and Otaki came to drag Belldandy away for some unknown reason. As she left, she handed her tray over to the returning staff to be served with in their second trip. Most of the people here were members of the Belldandy familia. Some were visiting friends and the like, but the staff was entirely part of the familia. Everyone had their part, but ultimately they were something of a large family that very few ever had the heart to leave. The staff was mostly comprised of retirees and family who were not able to go into the dungeons for one reason or another or simply didn't wish to. Everyone had their part. The children had chores and education. The adventurers brought their income and ran errands. The staff made sure everyone had a good home and a meal. Not that the staff were maids and butlers. No, they were more like the stay at home parent in the family. Everyone had responsibilities of their own. They slept under the same roof, ate together, and went on large outings once a month.

Skuld stopped at this as she approached her place by Belldandy's usual spot. She really was going to miss being here and a part of the family. It really had been weighing down on her mind, but she furrowed her brow and hefted her shoulders in determination. This may be good bye for now but not forever. Someday she will come back. After all, Urd still comes here. Why couldn't she? With this in mind she decided to try and get an early start on some matters and changed direction to sit next to her soon to be familia. Ranko stopped in her conversation with Keiichi to look at Skuld questioningly.

"Hey they kid," Ranko greeted to which Skuld gave a half lidded glare evoking a sheepish expression as the redhead now scratched at the base of her pigtail," –er sorry 'bout that, just hard for me to think of you as a goddess-" Skuld's brow furrowed in anger," well… I mean…"

Skuld took a moment to realize the girl's nervous expression as Keiichi winced at the scene before him. Skuld sighed and shook her head. As powerful as she might be, words seemed to be a weakness for her," Just forget it. There's more important things to talk about."

Skuld went about explaining the current situation and very discreetly steered Ranko's half of the conversation away from anything that should wait until later when others weren't about. During this Keiichi listened in and offered help. In fact, he said he had something to give to them later that should help out with the upcoming week. When they tried to turn it down though he waved it off saying that what he had was Ranko's to begin with.

Ten minutes into their discussion, Belldandy and the others returned much to everyone's delight as it meant they could eat soon. Chihiro was a little taken back as it turned out that Skuld had taken her place, but she didn't bother trying to take it back and instead took Skuld's seat next to Belldandy. Speaking of Belldandy. She was looking a bit sorrowful about something. Skuld thought it might be due to the fact that she had chosen to sit with Ranko rather than spend more time with her sister especially since she kept glancing towards her with a distraught look. Chihiro kept trying to help Belldandy's mood throughout the meal it seemed. It wasn't long before Skuld realized she was allowing herself to get distracted from the reason she had chosen to sit here. With a final glance at her sister, Skuld resolved to focus and settle things with her sister after dinner.

So far, they had agreed on putting off any financial decisions until the day after tomorrow so they would have a better idea of what their income was. This had been pointed out by Keiichi when Ranma and Skuld were arguing about renting vs. camping. Moving on from that, Skuld agreed to spend the upcoming week seeking some form of employment. Regardless of how much they made, she needed to have every little bit of she was going to afford a workshop. They all had a bit of a disagreement on what to do with the drops. Ranko was in favor of just selling them. Skuld insisted that they should be stocked up for later use. Keiichi pointed out that it would likely be in Ranko's best interest to have someone forge better gear for her with it. This dragged on as Ranko insisted she didn't need armor or weapons, Keiichi trying to explain their importance, and Skuld's insistence that she would need them. The final compromise had been that it would be dealt with on a case by case basis. To put simply, they agreed to put it off until later. There had been a few questions Keiichi had brought up, but Skuld steered away from for Ranko's sake.

Soon the meal came to an end with everyone hanging around to socialize and because word spread an announcement was to be made. Everyone's attention was drawn by the booming voices of Otaki and Tamiya.

"Listen here guys!" yelled Otaki.

"We gots big news!" cried Tamiya.

Chihiro and a downcast Belldandy were soon next to them. Chihiro took charge," Ok, these two knuckleheads have brought a case to our attention that needs to be addressed tonight! As much as I hate to agree on the matter, we have come to a decision on the matter with our goddess's blessing!"

Skuld was brought short by this. She thought this was going to be about her leaving in one week's time.

"Keiichi Morisato, front and center!" The goonish duo bellowed. All attention was suddenly brought upon the poor guy as he sheepishly stood up and walked forth. He was quite pale. It was then that Skuld noticed Belldandy look to him with sorrow.

"Sorry to break it to you, but your actions tonight have illustrated to us that your presence in this FAMILY isn't good for it. As such we are kicking you out!" Chihiro declared with an attempt at a stern look that was belied by her eyes. They spoke of something else entirely.

"Wha-!?" Keiichi squawked in horror.

"You's been stepping out of line too much kid," Tamiya said with a frown.

"Yeah, ya went and threw chances of a new recruit away!" Otaki backed his friend up with a strange smile.

"You took another familia's side in a matter!" Tamiya picked up.

"You denied our family some income!" Otaki continued their double team.

"After you's convinced our boss to take an action that hurt today's income!" Tamiya seemed to finish.

"Bu- but-!" Keiichi tried to plea but wasn't given the chance by Chihiro.

"However, Belldandy has made an arrangement on your behalf," Chihiro spoke solemnly. Belldandy could no longer bring herself to look at Keiichi and had lowered her gaze to her feet," If Skuld is willing to take you on as an adventurer, you will be given a chance to prove your worth to this family in one year. I am sorry, but this is non-negotiable Keiichi… Skuld!"

Skuld jumped at the call. She had been completely shocked by this turn of events as she was sure everyone else was. She knew that Belldandy loved the mortal dearly and many in the familia had suspicions he felt much the same. After she collected her nerves, she answered the call," Yes?"

"Are you willing to give Morisato this chance?" Chihiro questioned. Skuld thought for a bit on the matter. Like many, she had not been happy about the developing relationship. In fact, a number of Belldandy's familia still weren't. However, she had to admit that she had come to like him as a friend. She also knew how much this meant to her sister. After a few seconds of thought on how this would change things, she nodded her assent. Then Chihiro focused her gaze on Keiichi," And are you willing to take this offer and transfer?"

Keiichi was silent for several minutes. He stared at his feet and then looked to Belldandy. He seemed unsure at first, but as he looked to her, their eyes met as she too looked to him. His expression changed to one of determination," I will comeback!"

* * *

Throughout all of this, Ranko stayed in her seat. She was about to step in, but she caught something off about the whole situation. The duo that seemed most bent on this course of action weren't angry. In fact, she could almost feel their fondness even now as they looked at the guy. Something was up, and it was none of her business. She had more important matters like trying to get home. As she thought of this, her eyes wondered to Keiichi. She saw something in him when he answered Chihiro's last question. Something that she had seen in others before but was unsure she had ever felt. At that moment she decided she take her time to help him out. There was no telling how long it would to take for this newest spot of crazy in her life to past after all. Who knows, maybe helping him might teach her something about herself…

* * *

Later that night, Skuld finally mustered the will to see her sister. She had been unsure of how to deal with everything. It all just happened so fast. In the span of one day, everything seemed to be changing. However, she stopped just outside of Belldandy's room when she heard Chihiro's voice.

"I know… I didn't much like the idea either but they had a point…"

"But Keiichi…"

"Will be just fine. This has to be done. You know the three of us have been trying to push him for some time. He needs to be strong if he's going to win over the others. This is his chance to-"

Skuld didn't hear the rest of it as she realized it wasn't her place. She would respect her sister's privacy and try to keep what she did hear a secret.


End file.
